A Promise Never Kept

Of Pain and Torture

Percy PoV

I blinked my eyes open and almost cried out. Almost. But I didn't. For as I opened my eyes the first thing I saw was the face of my worst nightmare. I had hoped beyond hope, every day since I had woken up in the hospital all those years ago, that I wouldn't have to see him again. So, obviously I had to end up here, bound and gagged with him standing over me with that evil grin on his face.

Right then I wanted to just close my eyes and never open them again but I couldn't let him get to me more than he already had. I couldn't let him have the satisfaction of knowing how much he terrified me. So, I kept my eyes open and stared into his cold, heartless, cruel ones.

"Ah the Sleeping Beauty finally awakes." He said after a moment's silence. "I promised you I would make you pay Jackson and now I am going to keep my word. And don't worry it's only going to hurt like hell." As he said this his grin grew even wider and he looked even more crazy than usual, if that was even possible.

He dug his hands in his pocket and took out a small knife, one I remembered very distinctly from my last stay with the madman currently wielding it. It was the same one had used to 'Mark' me as he had called it. The end result had been the'A' scar on my forehead, that and a lot of pain.

He moved toward me with a malicious look on his face and I squirmed and struggled against my bonds- my hands were tied down on the handles of the chair and my ankles were tied similarly against the chair legs. All my struggling gave me though were bruises.

"Scared, I wouldn't be surprised if you were." Atlas taunted as he touched the blade of the knife on my arm and cut a thin line, then he cut another one just like the first beside it. "That's for the two days you have survived in your very own personal hell created by me. We shall see how much longer you will last." He said as I gasped in pain.

I watched little droplets of my blood slide down my arm and felt sick. How could someone do something so horrible to another person and feel so good about. How could someone else's pain bringing someone so much joy. It was sick, just plain horrible. Before I could ponder more on the topic though a punch came out of nowhere striking me on the jaw. My head whipped around and I groaned. That just seemed to fuel him though, as he landed punch after punch. I screamed through the gag in my mouth in pain as he landed a kick so hard it caused the chair to topple over and I hit my head hard on the concrete floor.

Dark spots swam around in my vision and Atlas simply laughed.

"That was just the beginning, Jackson. There's a lot more where that came from." With that he was gone. Leaving me lying on the floor.

Four more scars later, I was ready to die. I had bruises all over my body, other than that I also had a few broken fingers on my left hand and my wrists and ankles were raw and bleeding from all the times I had struggled against my bonds. Everyday Atlas would come and beat me up to an inch of my life but he'd stop just before it was too much.

The message was clear- I wasn't getting any peace until he had had his fun with me and apparently that was still a long way from now. My stomach was grumbling again and I tried to forget about my burning throat and the hunger. In the past week all I had eaten was a slice of bread once a day and just enough water to stop me from dying of dehydration.

I couldn't even sleep because I was too scared of what he might do when I was in a state of unawareness. All day long I though about my dad and my cousins and my friends and most of all, I thought about Annabeth. How I had almost kissed her at the party but had backed out at the last moment. I wished now that I had kissed her right then and there. Now, I was sure I would never get the chance and she would never know how I really felt about her because I'd be dead in the next few days.

I though about my childhood back in San Francisco. The good old days when stupid bullies and Dyslexia were my biggest problems. Back then I had always wanted my life to change. Now, I would give anything to go back to the old days when my mom was alive and happy. When I could spend my days with Annabeth sitting in my backyard eating ice-cream and blue cookies. But I couldn't.

I remembered the way she would roll her eyes and sigh in annoyance when I said something stupid. They way she scrunched her eyebrows together when she was off in her world thinking hard about something. The way she would call me 'Seaweed Brain'. The way she would laugh. I missed her laugh and I felt even worse knowing I would never hear that sweet melodious laugh again. Oh how I wish I could-

"Daydreaming?" I was broken out of my thoughts as I heard the voice. It was one I knew very well but it wasn't the one I had expected to hear.

I glared at the owner of the voice who was now standing in front of me. He reached his hand down and took off my gag.

"What do you want Luke?" I managed to croak out keeping my tone as bitter as possible.

"To get you out of here."

"Why do I not believe you?"

"Look Perce I know you're mad-" he said as he knelt down on the ground and untied my feet. "-and you have all the right to be. But you have to understand I did not want to do it, any of it."

"Then why did you?"

"I had to. He got to my mom somehow. A week before the party I got a call from him and he told me that if I didn't co-operate he'd kill her. I know I told you that I hated her and I ran away from home because of her being crazy but she is still my mother I couldn't have let her die. So I had to agree. Then when you were talking to Annabeth at the party he called and told me I had to get you here right away."

"Did you find your mom?"

"He told me I had to wait until you were dead so that I couldn't rat him out just yet. But I grew impatient so I snuck in and drugged him. I looked around and I-I. Bottom line, she was already dead so I came here as fast as I could. I am sorry Percy I should have known he wouldn't keep his end of the deal."

"It's okay. I understand." I said as he helped me up.

"And I should have known you wouldn't keep your end of the deal either Castellan." Came a voice from the open doorway. I looked up just in time to see Atlas shoot a gun that he had pointed straight at us. There was a loud bang and the next thing I knew my legs gave out beneath me and I crashed to the ground.

*Cackles evilly.

How was that for a cliffhanger?

Now you must all go and follow me if you ever want to know what happens next.. Muahaha.

JK. I'll update anyway. But you are always welcome to follow me!

Till next time.

~Scarlet